Monthly Archives: June 2012

Jill Pickle: I wanted to make a quick and easy recipe so I tried Parmesan Chicken and Rice from the Cooking Light, Dinner Tonight Cookbook. I made a few changes. I added orzo instead of rice and added the whole can of chicken broth. It was really good! The wine, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese added so much flavor! I also used thyme and Italian parsley from my herb garden. As a side, I made Swiss Chard. In my garden, I’m also growing lovely Rainbow Swiss Chard and it was surprisingly good!!

Katie: One of the great things about my new apartment is its proximity to the Westside Community Market. I got a chance to explore this weekly farmers market last Saturday.

Although it can’t be compared to this farmer’s market, I thought it had a great variety and nice atmosphere. The products included everything from produce to plants to baked goods and chocolates. There was even some live music. I also found this neat community garden near the market:

My purchases included:

The last meal I made with beets was this Roasted Garlic and Beet Soup, but this time I wanted to try a more seasonal dish. I based my meal off of this recipe for Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets, Chickpeas, and Orange from Gluten-Free Goddess, with some variations. My salad included a base of greens, topped with quinoa, roasted beets, yellow mango, carrots, chickpeas, and roasted sunflower seeds! It was joined together with a dressing made of balsamic vinagrette, olive oil, soy sauce, and agave syrup. It may have been an unusual salad, but I really liked it! I hope I’ll have time this summer to explore the market more and try other summer salads!